DMFT in Iranian 12-year-old students residing in the desert region and its association with their individual and family factors- 2016

Abstract

BackgroundOral health in students, as an important health-related subject, would be effective on their growth, self-confidence, socialization, learning ability, daily activities, and quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the DMFT index of 12-year-old students in Gonabad and Bajistan and its relation with their personal and family factors.MethodsAn analytic-cross sectional study conducted among 1280 the students residing in the two desert districts of Iran in 2016. The required data including the subjects’ demographic and family factors as well as their oral health situation extracted from The National School Oral Health Program. The data entered in SPSS (20) and analyzed via Kruskal Wallis, Mann-Whitney, and logistic regression model.ResultsMean (SD) of the students’ DMFT was 1.47 (1.82). This index was calculated 0.98 (1.47) for boy students and 1.91 (1.98) for girl students (P<0.001). There were significant association between mean of the students’ DMFT and their residency location (P=0.015), birth rank (P=0.032), and level of education of their mothers (P=0.035).ConclusionAccording to the findings, attention to oral health in students, especially in girls, seems necessary. Increasing the knowledge and sensitivity of parents (especially mothers) concerning oral health of their children, especially their girls, the use of intermediate forces such healthcare providers in school and oral health technicians in health centers, and the implementation of preventive interventions such as fissure sealant, fluoride varnish Therapy, and use of sodium fluoride mouthwash by students would be effective for improving the oral health of students.

Oral self-care behavior and its influencing factors in a sample of school children from Central Iran

“…Our results showed that 17.2% of students reported using mouthwash. Bayat et al [37] and Alami et al [38] reported similar rates in Iranian samples. As compared to other regions in the world, the rate of mouthwash use was 48% in a study in India [39], 58% in Pakistan [40], and 35.6% in Saudi Arabia [32].…”